Day 5: Bangkok Old City

Today was the first sunny day in Bangkok since I arrived. I took the ferry across Chao Phraya River again to see Bangkok Old City, this time armed with a bicycle Aaron had lent me (don't worry, Mom and Dad, I wore a helmet!).

I first stopped at Wat Pho. There isn't much to say about it other than it is a beautiful temple with many large Buddhas. One fact that stuck with me, though, was that the animal statues you see around the temple were originally used as ballast in Thai ships upon returning from trade with China because the statues were inexpensive and readily available. The more you know.

One beautiful temple was enough for me, so I circumvented The Grand Palace and stuffed myself full of food at The Maharaj. Food in Bangkok is so cheap that even when you're in a touristy area and prices are higher than in surrounding areas of the city it's still difficult to spend more than $5 on a meal.

Afterwards I walked onto the campus of Thammasat University. I checked out the bookstore and couldn't find any books more expensive than 1000฿ ($28).

The nearby Bangkok National Museum was free because of the recent passing away of the King. The attendants out front were highly conversational, but the museum itself was somewhat bland. Without having any prior knowledge to place the myriad of artworks and their descriptions into context, the place felt more like a yard sale for past kings' old stuff.

By the time I rode back to Sharehouse, it was 30 degrees Celsius, sunny and humid. The rest of the day was spent in a cold shower, drinking peach tea in the air conditioned cafe next door, and dozing off beneath the fan with the cats.